Animal habitat and display system

ABSTRACT

An animal habitat and display system provided in a frame having at least one set of guide rails supporting a pull-out drawer having at least one compartment with a viewing window and a movable wall section for gaining access into the compartment which defines an internal habitat environment. A selectively operable regulator element in communication with the internal environment is selectively operable via an environmental control unit having a control panel for regulating the internal habitat environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of display devices,and more specifically, to display devices including a habitat forshowcasing animals such as reptiles, amphibians, and other animalscommonly sold in retail pet or specialty pet stores and controlling theenvironment of such habitat.

[0003] 2. Background

[0004] For the pet store owner or other animal keeper, control ofenvironmental conditions such as temperature, lighting, humidity, noise,food, air and water quality, animal waste and other environmentalconditions, within and immediately surrounding the animal's habitat aswell as controlling access for handling the animal are common concernsin maintaining a healthy animal. Cold-blooded animals, such as reptilesand amphibians, require even greater attention to temperature control asan especially critical component to the survival of the animal.

[0005] To house the animal, glass, acrylic, or plastic walled tanks arecommonly used in retail and specialty pet stores as both in-storedisplays and living quarters for all kinds of animals including rodents,reptiles, birds, cats, dogs, fish, and other commonly sold pets. Thetanks frequently include a heating element such as a hot rock or heatingpad, a light, a substrate, water, food, and other environmentalfeatures. A-thermometer is often placed inside the tank at a convenientlocation visible to the animal caretaker to monitor the tanktemperature. Such tanks provide a habitat for the animals during theirstay in the store.

[0006] Often such tanks are placed on a stand and placed in a hightraffic area of the store enabling prospective customers to view theanimal or animals. Given that pet store owners may have a relativelylarge inventory with limited floor space, the use of single cagedisplays is often limited to select animals or avoided altogether.Because of the limited store space, more often the tanks are arranged insome sort of stacked relationship on a display rack. Normally, access tothe animal is either provided from a room behind the rack where thestore employee may enter or the store employee may access the tank fromthe front. In either case, the tank typically includes a removable toplid which must be held up or placed aside while the animal handlerattempts to handle the animal. This often results in the animal escapingas the handler must hold the lid with one hand or having removed the lidcompletely to place his or her arm inside the tank to grab the animal,the removed lid leaves a large opening through the animal may escape. Inaddition, the ease in which the animal may be accessed by merely liftinga lid leaves the store owner prone to theft. Some display tanks mayinclude a key lock system to secure access to the tank and thus theanimal. Each tank may have its own lock or the lock may restrict accessto a number of tanks. Keys are then distributed to store personnel.Thus, when an animal handler desires to show an animal to a prospectivecustomer or otherwise handle the animal, a key is produced to unlock thelid to the tank. This still leaves the store owner prone to theft fromex-employees with keys and there is no accountability as to whichemployee opened the tanks. For instance, keys are easily duplicated andanyone with a key may access the tank. One employee may easily blameanother employee. In addition, the expense of changing a lock every timean employee is terminated incurs an unnecessary expense on the employer.Moreover, even without a key it is not uncommon for a thief to merelyforce the lock open without undue effort.

[0007] In addition to the concerns of displaying the animals in limitedstore floor space and controlling the access and handling of thecreatures, control of other environmental conditions is difficult in amulti-tank display. The difficulty of managing the heat controlincreases as display tanks are placed proximate to one another. Insimple set ups, an in-tank heater such as a heat rock, which is aheating element covered by a simulated rock-like cover, is placed in theanimal tank and plugged into a nearby power source. Many heat rockssimply warm to a particular temperature while some allow the operator tovary the temperature somewhat. In either case, the owner runs the riskof burning the animal if it is exposed directly to the heat rock for toolong. In addition, such rocks may not distribute heat evenly creatingsimilar burn concerns.

[0008] Moreover, the proximity of the tanks increases the difficulty ofcontrolling the temperature as heat created in the lower tanks rises tothe upper tanks. As typically some sort of lighting and heating systemmust accompany each tank or display, the tendency of heat transferringfrom one tank to another due to lighting equipment and heating equipmentin a closely spaced display system results in inadequate temperaturestability and control often resulting in the death of the animals,especially when the animals are left unattended.

[0009] Thus, one common practice is to space the tanks relatively farapart. This arrangement, however, wastes display space and lengthens thewiring requirements for lighting and heating power cords. In addition,each of the heating and lighting elements are typically connected to asingle outlet panel controlled by a switch and thus individual controlof the environmental controls of the tanks is not attainable.

[0010] Another environmental concern arises when the animals are leftunattended, such as during off hours in which the environmentalconditions in the store may change significantly. For example, nighttimetemperatures may drop drastically if the heating system controlling thestore temperature fails. Such change in the ambient temperaturesurrounding the animal habitats effects the temperature in the habitatswhich are not isolated from the ambient air. On the other extreme,during higher temperature ambient conditions, the store air conditioningsystem can cease functioning properly. In such situations, the animalsare placed at great health risk as the ambient temperature and thus tanktemperature rises.

[0011] As the health of the animals as both an asset to the store and aconcern of the animal care taker is a serious concern, controlling thehabitat environment, including access to the habitat, are paramountconcerns in order to run a successful business or animal care takingfacility such as a veterinarian's office and is something whichconventional animal habitats fail to satisfactorily provide.

[0012] Thus, what is needed and heretofore unavailable is a moreefficient multiple display case system with improved animal handlingcharacteristics and improved environmental control features whiledeterring theft and providing access accountability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, an animal habitat and display system is provided with a framesupporting at least one set of guide rails upon which a drawer isslidably received and includes at least one compartment with a frontwall defining a window and at least one wall that is movable relative tothe compartment to gain access thereto. The compartment defines aninternal environment which is in communication with a regulator elementthat is selectively operable via a control panel of an environmentalcontrol unit in electrical communication with the regulator element forregulating the internal environment of the compartment.

[0014] In one aspect of the present invention, the regulator element maybe a heat transfer element which may take the form of a heating pad.

[0015] In another aspect of the present invention, the regulator elementmay a lighting component which may take the form of a heat lamp orfluorescent light.

[0016] Yet another feature of the present invention is the incorporationof a multi-drawer, multi-compartment arrangement with each compartmentincluding a regulator element that may be controlled via the controlpanel.

[0017] Another feature of the present invention in the introduction of akeyless access control system for accessing a drawer and its contents.

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention is the incorporation of acontrol panel having a switch bank for a plurality of heating elementsand another switch bank for a plurality of lighting elements.

[0019] Yet another aspect of the present invention is the inclusion of abumper assembly to provide a self-closing movable compartment lid toclose off a compartment as a drawer is moved back into the frame.

[0020] In one aspect of the present invention, the habitat and displaysystem incorporates four drawers on four sets of guide rails with eachdrawer including three compartments.

[0021] Another feature of the present invention is the inclusion of arail guard for inhibiting debris from fouling up the guide railassemblies.

[0022] Other aspects of the present invention will become apparent withfurther reference to the following drawings and specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023]FIG. 1 is a right front perspective view of a preferred embodimentof an animal habitat and display apparatus in accordance with thepresent invention;

[0024]FIG. 2 is partial, exploded view, in enlarged scale, of a drawer,in an extended position, and partial frame of the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 1;

[0025]FIG. 3 is a top sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken alonglines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

[0026]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken alonglines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

[0027]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken alongline 5-5 of FIG. 1 illustrating a drawer of the animal habitat anddisplay system as illustrated in FIG. 1 but with the drawer in anextended position as illustrated in FIG. 2;

[0028]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view top view, in enlarged scale,taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 5;

[0029]FIG. 7 is a rear view of the preferred embodiment of the animalhabitat and display system illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0030]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional top view, in enlarged scale, takenalong lines 8-8 of FIG. 7;

[0031]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken alonglines 9-9 of FIG. 6;

[0032]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken alonglines 10-10 of FIG. 6;

[0033]FIG. 11 is a front sectional view, in enlarged scale, of thecontrol panel of the preferred embodiment of the animal habitat anddisplay system illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0034]FIG. 12 is a schematic of an exemplary wiring diagram illustratingthe environmental control system in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention;

[0035]FIG. 13 is an exemplary block diagram of the environmental controlsystem of a second embodiment of the present invention; and

[0036]FIG. 14 is a right front perspective, exploded view, in reducedscale of the frame, guide rail, and drawer assembly of the animalhabitat and display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, 7, and 14, an exemplary embodiment ofan animal habitat and display system with environmental controls,generally designated 20, of the present invention is illustrated. Ingeneral, such habitat and display system is provided in a frame 22supporting at least one set of guide rails 24 on which a drawer 25 isslidably supported so that the drawer may be extended and retractedrelative to the frame. The drawer includes at least one compartment 26with a front wall 28 defining a window 30 and at least one wall 32movable relative to the compartment so the compartment may be accessed.An internal environment 34 is defined by the compartment and may beregulated with a regulator element 36 (FIGS. 2 and 3) in communicationwith the internal environment and is selectively operable through acontrol panel 38 connected to an environmental control unit, generallydesignated 40 (FIGS. 11-13), in electrical communication with theregulator element.

[0038] With particular reference to FIGS. 7 and 14, forming the supportstructure for the display system, the main frame assembly 22 is agenerally rectangular open structure having four upright rack railsincluding a left front rack rail 42, a right front rack rail 44, a leftrear rack rail 46 and a right rear rack rail 48 corresponding to eachcorner of the frame. A pair of left and right upper horizontal supports50 and 52 and a pair of left and right lower horizontal supports 54 and56 connect the front rack rails with the rear rack rails along the shortends of the frame. In addition, the top ends of the front left rack railand front right rack rail are connected by a front upper brace 58 andthe top ends of the rear left rack rail and rear right rack rail areconnected by a rear upper brace 60, with both braces 58 and 60 spanningthe width of the frame 22. A front lower brace 61 is connected to theleft front rack rail 42 and right front rack rail 44 slightly abovetheir respective bottom edges. This brace 61 is preferably removablysecured to the frame to provide ease of access underneath the frame. Arear lower brace 62 projects horizontally between the left rear rackrail 48 and right rear rack rail 48 along the lowermost edge of theframework. A diagonally projecting reinforcement brace 64 spans from theupper end of the right rear upright support 48 to the lower end of theleft rear upright support 46 strengthening the integrity of the frame.An alternative location for the diagonal brace 64 is illustrated in FIG.7. The frame members 42-64 may be secured together using conventionalfasteners, welded together, or with other suitable fastening means. Thefootprint of the frame is this exemplary embodiment is 24 inches deep by52 inches wide. Other suitable dimensions will occur to those ofordinary skill in the art. The frame 22 provides a convenient mountingstructure for a number of drawers as well as the environmental supportequipment. A panel skin 31 may cover the frame members to provide a morepleasing appearance as illustrated in FIG. 1. In this exemplaryembodiment, four drawers designated 25 a-d (FIG. 1) from top to bottomare supported by the frame. As each of the four drawers is similarlystructured and similarly mounted to the frame at various locations alongits height, an exemplary drawer will now be described.

[0039] Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, an exemplary top drawer 25 a isslidably mounted to the frame 22 by a pair of left and right opposingguide rails 24 a and 24 b fixedly secured to the frame. Each guide rail24 a, 24 b includes a rear slide bracket 66 and a forward slide bracket68. The right rear slide bracket 66 is secured between the right rearupright 48 and right forward upright 44 using suitable fasteners throughrespective rear and forward anchor flanges 70 and 72 or with a suitableweld fixing the rear slide bracket to the frame. The forward slidebracket 68 is carried on the rear slide bracket 66 and is constructed toslide along its length in a telescopic arrangement with the rear slidebracket. The left slide brackets are similarly attached to the left rearand left forward uprights 46 and 42 and are mounted in verticalalignment with the opposing right slide brackets.

[0040] Turning to FIGS. 2, 5, and 7, a drawer locking and closingassembly, generally designated 100, is secured between the opposing rearslide brackets 66 a, 66 b. Such assembly includes a cross beam 102welded at opposite ends to the inside surfaces of the left and rightrear slide brackets 66 a, 66 b. Mounted at a midpoint along the crossbeam is a forwardly facing plate 104 of the magnetic locking system. Theforwardly facing plate 104 is connected via wiring 105 to theenvironmental control unit 40 to control the unlocking and locking ofthe magnetic locking assembly or maglock as will be described below. Anelevated cage lid closing bar 106 is mounted to a pair of left and rightuprights 108, 110 welded or other secured to the cross beam 102.Inwardly facing left, right, and middle bumpers 111, 113, and 115,respectively, are carried from the closing bar, face forwardly, and arevertically aligned with the three lids of the respective tanks on thetop drawer 74 a to assist in closing the respective lids as the draweris pushed shut or retracted into the frame on the guide rails 24 a, 24 bas will be described below in more detail.

[0041] With continued reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 14, mounted to eachopposing forward slide rail 66 is a rectangular pull-out tray or shelf74 upon which compartment 26 rests. In this example, there are four suchshelves 74 a-d. Together, the tank 118 a, its compartments 26 a-c andshelf 74 a cooperate to form the respective drawer 25 a. With particularreference to FIGS. 2 and 14, the short sides 76 of a rectangular uppershelf 74 a are fixedly mounted to the respective left and right forwardslide brackets 68 a and 68 b providing a shelf that may be movedrelative to the frame 22 and fixed rear slide brackets 66 a, 66 b. It isalso contemplated that the short sides of the shelf could provideanother rail extension to allow the drawer to pull out further from theframe. The upper shelf 74 a spans the gap between the opposing upperguide rails 24 a, 24 b and provides upper and lower support surfaces forsupporting the tank 118 a and its compartments 26 a-c and mountingelectrical components such as the lighting components for regulatinglight within the tank internal environments.

[0042] The upper shelf includes spaced apart, front and rear crosssupports 78 and 80 secured to the inside surface of the respective leftand right front slide brackets 68 a, 68 b, respectively. A frontaesthetic cover 82 with vents 233 (FIG. 2) is secured to the frontfacing of the front cross support 78. A wire mesh 84 spanning thetransverse width of the shelf overlies these supports and may be coveredpartially or entirely by an insulating pad 123 (FIG. 4) to absorb ordeflect some of the heat from the lighting components away from the tanksupported above on the shelf. The rear cross support 80 includes anupwardly turned flange 86 projecting along its length with a rearwardlyfacing plate 88 (FIG. 3) of a magnetic lock assembly secured thereto ina rearwardly facing configuration at a vertical level just above therear cross support 102 and at a midpoint of the cross support 80 lengthand aligned with the forwardly facing maglock plate 104 on the crosssupport 102 (FIG. 2). Advantageously, the short ends 76 of the shelf 74a include an L-shaped rail shield 90 with a one portion projectinghorizontally over and extending beyond the front slide bracket 68 toprevent debris such as animal bedding or other contaminants from foulingup the guide rails 24 a, 24 b.

[0043] With reference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 8, projecting along the lengthof the shelf between the front and rear cross supports 78 and 80,respectively, is an elongated lighting assembly which includes anelectrical conduit 92 secured to the inside surface of the left andright front slide brackets 68 a, 68 b, respectively. Mounted to theconduit using conventional fasteners is left heat lamp assembly 94 a,central heat lamp assembly 94 b, and a right heat lamp assembly 94 cprojecting toward the rear cross support 80. The left heat lamp assembly94 a is representative of the other two heat lamp assemblies andincludes a bulb socket 96, a heat lamp bulb 98 preferably rated from 15Watts to 40 Watts, and a downwardly facing, semi-cylindrical, reflectiveheat shield 99 to deflect heat in a downward and outward direction. Thesocket is connected to the main conduit 92 with a short projectingmini-conduit 97. The central and right heat lamp assemblies areconstructed in a like manner.

[0044] On the forward facing side of the conduit 92, a longitudinallyprojecting flourescent lamp 112 is secured between opposing sockets 114a, 114 b secured to the conduit. The wiring for each of the heat lampassemblies and the fluorescent lamp are carried within the conduit anddirected out of a slot in the right side in a wiring harness 116 towardthe open rear of the frame 22. The wiring harness is then connected tothe electrical circuit on the top of the frame 22 where theenvironmental control unit (ECU) 40 may be placed. For maintenancereasons, the conduit 92 may include a removable top so a repairtechnician can access the wiring within. It will also be appreciatedthat the removable wire mesh 84 facilitates maintenance of the lightingassemblies 94 a-c. The mesh also facilitates movement of air about thelight sources to assist in controlling the heat flow about the tanks.The other shelves are constructed in a similar manner so that thelighting assembly connected to a particular shelf services the tank 118and internal environments directly below the shelf supporting thelighting components. A top lighting assembly above the top drawer 25 amay be fixed to the frame or constructed as an independent shelf.

[0045] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 14, resting atop the shelf 74 a isa tank 118 having a front wall 28, rear wall 120, a bottom wall 122 andopposing left and right walls 124 and 126 cooperating to form agenerally rectangular compartment 26 a. The front, bottom, and rearwalls span the width of the shelf 74 a from the left side to the rightside while the opposing side walls span the depth of the shelf from thefront to the back of the shelf. The respective walls are typically heldtogether where the edges meet by a suitable sealant and may be otherwisereinforced. The bottom wall 122 of the tank may be secured to the shelfusing suitable fasteners or adhesives or merely rest on top of theshelf. The tank is preferably constructed of a transparent material suchas glass, acrylic, plastic or other suitable material. At least aportion of the front wall is transparent to form a window 30 allowingpotential customers or viewers to observe the contents within thecompartments 26 a-c. The front wall of the tank may include an in-tankthermometer 125, as exemplified in compartment number three 26 c in FIG.1, adhered to the inside surface of the front panel 28 and visiblethrough the window 30. An animal care taker can easily view thethermometer to take a reading of internal habitat temperature. Suchthermometer is for visual readings only and is not connected to anyelectrical circuitry. An in-tank thermometer that is connected to theenvironmental control unit will be described below.

[0046] In between the bottom wall 122 of the tank and wire mesh 84 is aheating pad, generally designated 162, coupled to an electricalenvironmental control unit 40 as will be described below. Preferably,the insulating pad 123 (FIG. 4) is placed between the heating and thewire mesh to deflect some of the heat generated by the lightingcomponent in the tray from overheating the compartment directly above.

[0047] Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, in this exemplary embodiment, leftand right dividers 128, 130, respectively, subdivide the tank into threeequal sized discrete sub-compartments 26 a, 26 b, and 26 c,respectively, or cages. The left divider 128 includes a bottom end 132held in place by a pair of forward opposing stops 134 a, 134 b andrearward stops 136 a, 136 b adhered or otherwise suitably secured to thebottom 122 of the tank near the front and back walls 28 and 120,respectively. It will be appreciated that the dividers could be spacedat different locations within the tank to form compartments of unequalsize. In addition, no dividers, one dividers, or a greater number ofdividers could be used to form varying compartment configurations.

[0048] At the top end of the left divider 128, is a generally I-shaped,when viewed in transverse cross section as illustrated in FIG. 9,mounted lid guide 138 screwed into the top of the divider with a setscrew 140. Intermediate lid guides, that is lid guides not located onthe side walls 124 or 126 include opposing laterally facing slots 127 a,127 b. The lid guide 138 and its respective slots 127 a, 127 b projectalong the length of the divider 128 from the front wall 28 of the tankto the rear wall 120. The side walls 124 and 126, respectively, of thetank include half section lid guides (not shown) with a single slotfacing inwardly toward the tank. The dividers are the same height as theside walls 124 and 126, respectively. The right divider 130 isconstructed in a like manner.

[0049] Referring now to FIGS. 2, 6, and 9, the top wall 32 of the tank118 is in the form of a discrete, three piece, movable lid 32 a, 32 b,and 32 c. Thus, there is one lid corresponding to each compartment 26 a,26 b, and 26 c. Each lid is perforated with holes 142 to allow airoutside the compartment to exchange with air in the internal habitatenvironment. One lateral side of the right end lid 32 c is illustratedin FIG. 9 and includes a horizontally projecting rail 144 secured to thelid 32 c by a screw or other suitable fastener 146. From the lateralouter edge of the lid 32 c, the rail 144 bends downwardly and thenoutwardly to form an L-shaped rail. The outwardly extending flange 148of the rail is inserted into the slot 127 a to slide thereon. Each lidis constructed alike. Thus, each lid slides between adjacent, opposingrail guides and may be moved relative to the tank to open the top regionof the tank to access the internal environment and animal in thecompartment. The lids are preferably movable in a rearward direction bypushing the front edge 149 of the lid rearwardly when the drawer 25 a ispulled out from the frame 22. The lids are preferably sized to close offthe entire top opening of the tank 118. The back end 145 of each lidincludes a downwardly facing bumper flange 146 at a horizontal levelaligned with the respect bumpers 111, 113, and 115 of the opposing crossbeam 106.

[0050] Referring now to FIG. 10, a top view of the tank constructionincluding reinforcement construction is illustrated. The side wall 126is further secured to the rear wall 120 by an L-shaped angle bracket150. The front wall 28 is secured to the side wall 126 with a T-shapedbracket 152 with the short end of the “Tee” facing forwardly and thelong end of the “Tee” running parallel and alongside the side wall 126.A side cover panel 154 is screw into the underlying support bracket witha screw 156 or other suitable fastener.

[0051] Likewise, an upper intermediate drawer 25 b, lower intermediatedrawer 25 c and bottom drawer 25 d including tanks 118 b-d,respectively, are separated into three compartments 26 d-f, 26 g-i, and26 j-l, respectively, in this example, and supported on a shelf 74 b-d,respectively which is mounted to the frame 22 on respective sets ofupper intermediate guide rails, lower intermediate guide rails, andbottom guide rails (FIGS. 1 and 7). Thus, in this example, the animalhabitat and display system includes four drawers 25 a-d from top tobottom with four sub-divided tanks 118 a-d forming 12 discretecompartments, designated 26 a-l and corresponding with compartmentnumbers 1-12 (FIG. 1). Each compartment includes its own habitatenvironment having environmental conditions measurable by sensors such aheat, light, humidity and the like. The sensors may measure parametersdefining characteristics of the environmental conditions within theenvironment. For example, the temperature sensor may sense a temperaturefrom which temperature of the internal environment may be determinedeither manually or via the environmental control unit described below tosense an overheat condition or otherwise. Furthermore, each drawer 25a-d and its corresponding compartments 26 a-c, 26 d-f, 26 g-i, and 26j-l, respectively, may be illuminated by fluorescent lights 112 a-d,respectively. A heat lamp 158 a-l and a heating pad element 162 a-l areassigned to each compartment 26 a-l, respectively. Each of thefluorescent lights 112 a-d, heat lamps 158 a-l, and heating pad 162 a-lare positioned in close proximity with said corresponding compartment 26a-l, respectively, to regulate a condition such as light and heat withinthe associated internal environment 34 a-l, respectively. Thesetemperature and light regulating components 112 a-d, 158 a-l, and 162a-l are wired to the environmental control unit 40 as will be describedbelow in more detail for selectively controlling the internalenvironment of each tank. The term regulation, as used herein, inaddition to its plain meaning, encompasses changing stabilizing,influencing, adjust, control. Due to construction similarities betweenthe drawers, guide rails, and their respective components, likecomponents have been like numbered. This four by three configurationwith twelve discrete compartments is not meant to be limiting in anymanner and other configurations will not depart from the scope andspirit of the present invention.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 7, an auxiliary overtemp fan 232 and a secondauxiliary fan 234 are mounted to the bottom cross brace 62 usingconventional fasteners. These fans may be wired to the environmentalcontrol unit and controlled thereby. In FIG. 2, the auxiliary fan 232 ismounted at an alternative location to the cross bracket 102 of thedrawer closing and locking assembly. Such fans contribute to alternativeforms of cooling by drawing air from the front of the system 20 throughvents 233 to the open rear of the frame 22.

[0053] Turning to FIGS. 1, 11, and 12, an exemplary control panel 38 isillustrated. The control panel generally includes a switch controlsection 153 and a keypad 154. The switch control section includes a setof 12 dual position, heat lamp switches designated 158 a-l positioned intwo rows of six switches in vertical alignment near the middle of thecontrol panel forming a heat lamp switch bank Each heat lamp switchcorresponds to a particular heat lamp and may turn the lamp on or off.Conveniently, the heat lamp switches are labeled 1-12 to correspond withthe particular compartments 1-12.

[0054] As viewed in FIGS. 11 and 12, to the left of these heat lampswitches 158 is a set of two rows of six variable control heating padswitches, designated 160 a-l, respectively. Each switch is connected toa corresponding heating pad in the corresponding tank number 1-12forming a heating pad switch bank. These switches may be rotated tochange the desired temperature of the variable temperature heating pads162 a-l, respectively. As for the heat lamp switches, the heating padswitches are labeled 1-12 for like reasons.

[0055] To the right of the heat lamp switches 158 is a master switchpanel 164 including a dual position, master fluorescent light switch 166positioned above and in vertical alignment with a dual position, masterheat lamp switch 168. As will be explained below each of these switchesmay turn on or off the entire associated fluorescent lamps or heatlamps.

[0056] Positioned to the right of the master switch panel 164 is thekeypad 154 in the form of a conventional ten key with a set of keys 0-9155 and an additional star key 170 and a pound key 172. The keypad isused to store employee codes and controls entry of the drawers 25 a byreleasing the maglocks 88, 104 from one another to control access to thedrawer contents as will be described below. A LED indicator 157 is alsoprovided to indicate successful code entry and/or drawer open status. Apreferred keypad is available from Quantum in the United Kingdom.

[0057] Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, an exemplary electrical circuitassociated with the environmental control unit 40 according to a firstembodiment of the invention for providing access and environmentalcontrols is illustrated. An AC power source 174 such as a conventionalwall outlet provides power to the master switch box connected using aconventional plug and cord to a switch box 164 including the masterfluorescent light bank switch 166 and master heat lamp bank switch 168.In series with the switch box 164 is a 24 volt direct current powersupply 176 for supplying power to the DC components, that is, themaglocks 88, 104 and the heating pads 162 a-l. The fans 232, 234 mayalso be DC powered. A safety fuse 178 is disposed in the circuit betweenthe switch box 164 and DC power supply 176. The power supply provides DCpower to the programmable keypad 154, which controls the access controlrelay board 179 including a series of relays 180 a-d for individuallyactivating and deactivating the maglock units 181 a-d, respectively,associated with each drawer 25 a-d, respectively. Relay 108 e andmaglock 181 e are spares for configuration growth.

[0058] In addition, the 24 VDC power supply is in series with theelectrical heating pads 162 a-l for each tank through respectivevariable heat resistors switches 160 a-l controllable through theinterface control panel 38. The heating pads are typically 40 squareinches run at 24 VDC with 38 Ohm resistance and are available fromElectroflex of New Jersey. Other suitable heating pads may also be used.The variable heat resistors typically vary the temperature range of theheating pads from 85 degrees F. to 104 degrees F. although othersuitable temperature ranges may be used. The heating pads are connectedto the DC power supply 176 via wiring 185 a-l with an exampleillustrated in FIG. 3.

[0059] In addition to access and heating pad control, the electricalcircuit of the environmental control unit 40 may energize the fourflourescent, full spectrum habitat T-8 lights 112 a-d, respectively,with a 34 Watt rating. As described above, these habitat lights 112 a-dspan the lateral width of each drawer 25 a-d to position a portion ofthe light over each tank 118 a-d, respectively, within the drawer toprovide to the internal environment within each compartment. The habitatlights are electrically connected to the power source 174 and switch box164 through an electronic ballast 182. When the habitat and displaysystem 20 is plugged into the power source 174, closing the masterfluorescent switch 166 with energize all of the full spectrum lights 112a-d.

[0060] Additional light and heat for each compartment 25 is supplied bya bank of twelve 110 VAC heat lamps 98 a-l, respectively, having a 15-40Watt range as desired. The heat lamps are also in electricalcommunication with the power source 174 and the master heat lamp switch168 of the switch box 166. Each heat lamp includes its own individualcontrol switch 158 a-l as well. Closing all control switches 158 a-lwill energize all of the heat lamps 98 a-l, respectively, if the powersource 174 is on and the master heat switch 168 is closed. Individual ofsuch heat lamps 98 a-l may be turned off by opening the associatedcontrol switch 158 a-l. In addition, opening the master heat lamp switch168 opens the circuit and turns off all of the heat lamps 98 a-l.

[0061] Usage of the Habitat and Display System:

[0062] In use, several convenient features of the animal habitat anddisplay system will be appreciated. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 11-12,assuming initially that animal habitat and display system 20 is pluggedinto an active wall outlet 174 and each the drawers 25 a-d are initiallyclosed as illustrated in FIG. 1 and all maglocks 181 a-d including plate88 a-d coupled with plate 104 a-d, respectively, are activated so thateach drawer is locked, the operator or animal care taker, store owner,employee or the like, must first gain authorized access to a particulardrawer 25 a-d to release the corresponding maglock 181 a-d,respectively, using the keypad 154 on the control panel 38. For example,the store employee must first enter his or her employee code which iscompared to the employee code listing stored in the keypad 154. Entry ofa proper code by depressing the keypad keys 155 followed by selection ofa drawer number (1-4), corresponding to drawers 25 a-d, respectively,transmits current to the relay control 179 associated with the selecteddrawer to energize the relay 180 a-d to demagnetize the maglock 181 a-dso that the user may separate plate 88 a from plate 104 a, for exampleand pull the selected drawer 25 a out on its guide rails 24 a, 24 b.Assuming the top drawer 25 a is selected, the operator grasps the bottomedge of the front of the shelf 74 a and pulls the drawer easily out awayfrom the frame on the guide rails. The maglocks and keypad circuitryensure only one drawer may be pulled out at time or the display systemis sufficiently weighted so as to not fall over when one or more drawersare open. The maglocks are rated at 200-300 pounds pulling force toovercome their magnetic attraction and are available from Securitron ofReno, Nev., Camden of Canada, or Sprint in Hong Kong. Other suitablekeyless entry methods such as those incorporating conventional biometricdevices may also be used. Additional programming and computing power maybe supplied by connecting a processing unit to the keypad.

[0063] After selecting a particular compartment 26 a-c in the drawer 25a, for example, 26 c, the operator simply pushes the front edge 149 ofthe lid 32 c and slides the lid 32 c in a rearward fashion along itsrespective guide rails 144 in relative to the bottom wall 122 of thecompartment thereby enabling the animal care giver to reach into thecompartment and internal habitat environment and place or retrieve ananimal or other object. The other compartments in the same drawer maylikewise be accessed. When the operator no longer requires access to anyof the compartments in the drawer, with one hand the drawer 25 a may bepushed rearwardly toward the frame 22. In closing, the rear bumperflange 146 (FIG. 5) of any open lids, such as lid 32 c in this example,will bump into the bumpers 111, 113, and 115 of the opposing upper crossbeam 106 driving the lid 32 c along its rails 144 toward the front ofthe display system 20 thereby closing the lid and closing off theassociated compartment 26 c. It will be appreciated that only one handis needed to perform the drawer closing and lid closing all in onemotion. Upon closing the opposing mag locks components will reactivatelocking the drawer 25 a back in place. A store owner having a mastercode may verify the last entries of employees codes in the keypad todetermine who had access. In addition, if an employee is terminated, nokey lock must be changed out and the ex-employee code can easily beremoved as a viable access code.

[0064] To control the internal environment of a compartment 26 a-c inthe top drawer 25 a, for example, other than access, the operator mayagain use the control panel 38 (FIG. 11). In this example, the operatorwould initially switch the heat lamp master switch 168 to the onposition to energize the heat lamps circuits. Then, depending on theparticular tank, the operator would switch the particular heat lampswitch 158 a-l to the on position to energize the associated heat lamp98 a-l. For instance to turn the heat lamp on in compartment numberthree 26 c, the operator would switch on heat lamp switch 158 c. Theheat lamp would then provide both heat and light to the internalenvironment of the compartment 26 c. Other heat lamps may be activatedin a like manner. Switching the master heat lamp switch 168 to the offposition turns off all heat lamps.

[0065] The operator may also switch on all the fluorescent lamps 112 a-dby merely switching on the master fluorescent lamp switch 166 on thecontrol panel 38. Each fluorescent lamp lights up the internalenvironment of all the compartments 26 a-c of a particular drawer 25a-d. Control of individual fluorescent lights is also contemplated.

[0066] If additional or alternative heat is needed, the operator mayselect a particular heating pad switch 160 a-l on the control panel 38and turns the switch to the desired setting. Variable current issupplied to the selected heating pad 162 a-l to bring the heating pad tothe selected temperature. The operator may view the in-tank thermometer125 to determine if the heat setting is correct. The heating pad switchmay be turned to the off position if no heat from the heating pad isrequired. While the above described embodiment provides environmentalcontrol for the animal habitat and display system 20, even more advanceenvironmental control is contemplated as will now be described.

[0067] Automatic Control System and Usage:

[0068] Referring now to FIG. 13, a schematic diagram of a secondexemplary embodiment of the animal habitat and display system, generallydesignated 200, is illustrated with sensory feedback and active controlsfor advanced environmental control. Such system 200 may also provideremote reporting capability as will be described below. The constructionof the habitat and display system 200 is similar in construction to thehabitat and display system 20 of the first embodiment except that theenvironmental control unit 202 and control panel 203 includes moresophisticated circuitry and is in electrical communication with a numberof sensors to determine conditions both inside the compartment 26 andoutside the compartment, e.g. the ambient temperature. As in the firstembodiment, the magnetic locks 204 and heating pads 206 are hardwired tothe environmental control unit (ECU) 202. However, the ECU 202 includesa main control printed circuit board (PCB) 208 with a programmablemicroprocessor (CPU) 210. The main control board is also in electricalcommunication with a second PCB, the lighting PCB 212 via connector 213.The lighting PCB 212 is hardwired to the ballast 214 and fluorescentlamps 216 for each drawer unit to transmit on/off signals to thefluorescent lamps and monitor the voltage of each lamp. In addition, thelighting PCB 212 hardwired to the 12 heat lamps 218 disposed in four setof three in the respective tray above each compartment as describedabove in the first embodiment. The lighting PCB 212 also transmitson/off signals to the heat lamps, either individually or as a group andmonitors the voltage produced by each heat lamp.

[0069] With continued reference to FIG. 13, the main control PCB 208 isin electrical communication with another PCB, the LCD/KEYPAD PCB 220,via connector 221 which in turn in electrical communication with thecontrol panel 203. The LCD/KEYPAD PCB is hardwired to a keypad 222,constructed in a similar manner as described in the first embodiment,and an LCD panel 224, which may be a touch screen display, bothcooperate to form the control panel 203 or may be used individually. Apreferred LCD panel is available from Ampire. The LCD/KEYPAD PCB 220 maytransmit input from the keypad 222 or LCD panel 224 to the main controlPCB 208. In addition, the LCD/KEYPAD PCB 220 may transmit displaysignals or commands from the main control PCB 220 to the keypad or LCDpanel for display. The PCB's described above are proprietary to NorthAmerican Pet in Corona, Calif.

[0070] The main control PCB 208 is also hardwired to a set of 12overtemperature switches 226, positioned in each tank, one of which mayseen in FIG. 2. Preferred overtemp switches are digital and may beobtained from Sensidyne and may detect or sense temperature and also maybe set to close a switch upon reaching a preselected temperature andupon the switch upon reaching a second preselected temperature. Analogswitches may also be used. The main control PCB continuously orperiodically takes readings from these overtemp switches which sense thetemperature within each tank. If the temperature exceeds a preselectedtrigger point or set point, a shutdown sequence may be initiated as willbe described below. The overtemp switches may also be directly wiredinto the heat lamp circuit and will open the circuit to turn of off theassociated heat lamp if the trigger temperature point is reached. Anambient temperature sensor 228 is also hardwired to the main controlPCB. A preferred ambient temperature sensor is available from Sensirion.The ambient temperature sensor is located on the display system to sensethe temperature outside the tanks and generally surrounding the displaysystem (FIG. 1). Alternatively, the ambient temperature sensor may belocated away from the display system to take readings of the ambienttemperature in other parts of the complex where the display apparatus isset up. A humidity sensor 230 may also be hardwired to the main controlboard 208 and is positioned in a similar manner to the ambienttemperature sensor for detecting the local humidity outside of thetanks. As the ambient temperature may effect the internal environment ineach compartment, the main control board receives input from the ambienttemperature and may adjust accordingly. For example, if the ambienttemperature is less than a preselected temperature such as 68 degreesfor example, the heating elements may be adjusted upward to provide moreheat the compartments. Likewise, if the ambient temperature is above apreselected temperature such as 85 degrees, then the heating componentsmay be adjusted to transfer less heat into the compartments. The maincontrol board may continuously or periodically monitor the ambient tempsensor 228 and adjust the heating and lighting components accordingly.The main control board may also initiate an alarm if the humidity sensorreading is too low or too high so the animal care taker can adjust theanimal's environment accordingly.

[0071] It is also contemplated that an optional package may swap out theovertemp switches 226 with a combined temperature/humidity sensor whichmay be placed in each tanks and hardwired to the main control board 208to provide temperature and humidity readings from each individual tankto the main control board 208.

[0072] Continuing with FIG. 13, an overtemp auxiliary fan 232 ishardwired to the main control board 208. This overtemp fan is mounted onthe rear section of the frame opposing the bottom drawer (FIG. 7) todraw air across from the front of the display rack 20 through the vents233 on the front bottom panel 63 and out the rear of the open frame 22.Although the overtemp fan is illustrated on the bottom rack, it will beappreciated that a fan may be mounted to the frame behind each drawer todrawer cooler air, indicated by direction arrows, 235, through vents 233in the front of the display system across the tray 74 a-d and heat lamps158 a-l and out the open back of the tray or shelf, as indicated bydirectional arrows 237, through the fan 232 in the direction of arrow239 to remove undesirable high temperature air from the drawer and tankenvironments (FIG. 2). The fans described herein may be obtained fromComair Rotron.

[0073] If amphibians are placed in the habitat and display system, suchanimals are typically placed on the bottom rack as they require a coolerenvironment and such placement keeps them out of the rising highertemperature air. Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 13, a second auxiliary fan234, primarily used to assist in keeping the temperature of the lowerdrawer 25 d cooler than those drawers above the bottom drawer, isillustrated. Such fan 234 is hardwired to the main control board 208 andmay run frequently to draw cool air from the front of the habitat anddisplay system underneath the bottom of the lower drawer and out theback of the unit. If animals placed in the bottom drawer compartments donot require lower temperature requirements, then the second auxiliaryfan 234 may be used sparingly or as a complement to the first auxiliaryfan in cooling down the air in the tank environments.

[0074] With continued reference to FIG. 13, the main control board 208of the ECU 202 includes a DC power management and diagnostic controlunit 236. This DC power unit is hardwired to a source of DC power,indicated schematically at 238, which may be a 5, 12, and/or 24 VDCsource to supply power to the heating pads 162 a-l, fans 232, 234, andmagnetic locks 204. The diagnosit unit may monitor voltage of the DCcomponents to determine if the components are working properly andreport the findings to the main control board for reporting purposes andto generate error condition, warnings, or alarms.

[0075] In addition, if the DC power supply shuts down for any reason, abackup 24VDC battery 240 supplies power to the system 200. Thefluorescent lights 216 and heat lamps 218 are powered by a conventionalpower source such as wall outlet 242 supplying AC power. The powersource also is connected to a surge controller 244 to control voltagespikes and the like from harming the circuitry of the ECU 202. A maglockoverride switch 245 is connected to the backup battery and DC powersupply. Such switch will close if the DC power supply fails and does notturn back on after a preselected time limit to transmit a signal to themain control board 208 to open the magnetic locks after the preselectedtime. This allows the animal care takers to remove the animals from thetanks if necessary after otherwise securing the environment around thehabitat and display system 200. Also, if the main PCB fails, themaglocks may be programmed to automatically lock at least for adesignated time period to deter theft.

[0076] It will be appreciated that the incorporation of the PCB'sreduces the amount of wiring required for each of the heating andlighting components thus reducing the overall heat of the system 20.

[0077] For warning purposes, an alarm 246, which may provide eithervisual or aural stimulus, is hardwired to the main control board willtransmit an alarm signal if a critical state is reached in any of thetank environments as determined by the CPU 210 from input readings ofthe various sensors 226, 228 and heating pad 206 and light 216, 218status.

[0078] The main control board 208 of the ECU 202 is also constructedwith a device server board 248 that plugs into the main control board.Such device server board includes a port for connecting via acommunication line 250 to a local network 252 such as an ethernet orlocal access network (LAN). A preferred device server board is availablefrom Lantronics of Irvine, Calif. At least one terminal 253 or desktopcomputer laptop is connected to the local network. The local network isthen connected via a second communication line 254 to a global network,represented in FIG. 13 as the Internet 256. The store owner may alsohave a personal computer or store computer 258 connected to the Internetto receive messages from the reporting server 260 in communication withthe remote client computer over the Internet. The remote reportingserver compiles diagnostic data from the ECU 202 for each tankenvironment and associated control items and sensors. The server isconnected to a printer 262 for printing out hard copy reports 264 and adatabase 266 for storing the diagnostic history of each tank. The remotereporting server may be managed by a central service charging asubscription fee for the reporting service or as a built-in cost of thehabitat and animal display apparatus. When ready to use, the habitat anddisplay system is connected to a power source 242 so that power may besupplied to the lighting components and the DC power supply 238 isactivated to supply power to the maglocks 204, heating pads 206, andfans 232, 234. The ECU 202 is also supplied with power. The surgeprotector 244 inhibits voltage spikes from damaging the system while theback-up battery 240 goes into standby mode.

[0079] It will now be appreciated with the following description thatthe ECU 202 may be used to individually control the internal environment34 of each tank 118, including both lighting and temperature, by settingthe lighting and temperature parameters for each tank. The ECU thencontinuously or periodically monitors each tank and the systemcomponents for error conditions. If an error condition arises, asdetermined by the ECU 202, the ECU will generate a response to eithercorrect the situation and/or alert the display operator that an errorcondition exists and must be addressed or the health of an animal in thehabitat and display system may be jeopardized.

[0080] As the comfortable temperature range of different animals varies,the operator must first input the desired temperature for each tank 118.For example, most reptiles and amphibians are comfortable within atemperature range of 85 degrees to 104 degrees with the amphibianspreferring the lower end of the range. In this example the tanks arenumbered left to right starting with the top drawer 25 a. Using thekeypad 222, the operator may depress the key representative of the tankin which the temperature is to be set. It will be appreciated that theLCD panel 224 is an alternative input means for transmitting inputthrough the LCD/KEYPAD PCB 220 to the main control board 208. In thisexample, the operator selects tank “1” by depressing the number “1” onthe keypad 222 (and FIG. 11) and then entering the temperature setting,for example 85 degrees using the keys as well. The star or pound signmay be used to indicate send. The keypad sends the inputted keystrokessignals to the LCD/KEYPAD PCB 220 which in turn transmits the tank andtemperature setting to the main control board 208. The main controlboard then sends a control signal to the heating pad 162 a-l,respectively, associated with the selected tank to vary the resistanceof the variable temperature heating pad setting the heating pad at thedesired temperature as selected on the keypad.

[0081] Other tanks may be selected and the temperature set in a similarmanner. When the temperatures of all the tanks to receive animals havebeen set, the system 200 is allowed to stabilize. During this time, themain control board receives measured temperature readings from eachtanks overtemp switch 226. The user may check the temperature in eachtank using the in-tank thermometer 125 or alternatively using the LCDpanel 224 to call up a tank and associated temperature display which maybe a number or a graphical representation of the temperature.

[0082] The lighting may be controlled in a similar manner. The LCD panelmay also be used to select with heat lamps 218 are turned on for eachtank and fluorescent lamps 216 are turned on for each drawer 25. Thelighting switch bank 158 as described above for the first embodiment maybe used alternatively.

[0083] Assuming the temperatures stabilize, the animals are placed intheir respective tanks and cared for in conventional fashion asdescribed above for the first embodiment. As temperature conditionsoutside the tank may vary or the temperature regulating components mayfail, the ECU continually or periodically monitors the temperatureconditions of each tank via the in-tank overtemp switches 226.

[0084] More specifically, the main control board 208 of the ECU 202 mayreceive sensor readings from the in-tank sensors 226 measuring theenvironmental parameter of temperature to determine if the temperaturein a particular tank 118 is in an overtemp condition and thus theinternal environment of the associated tank is unsuitable for theanimal. The readings sent to the CPU 210 which is programmed to comparethe temp switch 225 measurements with the preselected temperaturesetting. Readings taken by the main control board 208 from the ambienttemperature sensor 228 and ambient humidity sensor 230 are also takeninto account when determining if a critical condition exists.

[0085] For example, if both amphibians and reptiles are situated in thetank environments, the desired temperature setting within a particulartank may vary from about 85 degrees to about 104 degrees. Thesetemperatures represent an exemplary low set point (85 degrees) and ahigh set point (104 degrees). If temperature conditions as sensed by anyof the overtemp switches 226 fall outside this range, a sequence ofevents is triggered. At the simplest level of response, the main controlboard 208, upon detecting a temperature range error from the in-tanktemp sensors 226, transmit a command signal to the alarm 246 to actuatea visual or aural stimulus to draw the operator's attention to thehabitat and display system 200. The operator, upon receiving the alarm,may investigate the source of the problem by checking the environmentalparameters for each tank internal environment using the in-tankthermometer 125 or LCD panel 224 environmental readout which may be atext or graphical display representing the temperature of each tank aswell as the power status of the DC components including the maglocks204, heating pads 206, and fans 232 and 234. The operator may fix thesituation or remove the animal from the affected tank environment.

[0086] The ECU 202 may also provide a more advanced level of response inthe form of a shutdown sequence, particularly for overtemp conditions.If, for example, the overtemp switch 226 detects an overtemp condition,i.e. an internal tank environment temperature over 104 degrees in thisexample, the switch will close transmitting a signal to the main controlboard 208 that a particular tank has reached an overtemp condition. Themain control board 208 will send a command signal to the auxiliary fan232 to turn on to begin drawing air from the front of the display systemtoward the back of the system in an attempt to generate a cooler airflow through the system. The main control board 208 will continue tomonitor the overtemp switch which is selected to open upon reaching atemperature of 85, in this example. If the overtemp switch 226 has notopened with a certain time period, for example, one minute, the maincontrol board will actuate the second auxiliary fan 234 in a similarmanner and continue to take temperature parameter measurements of thetank having an internal environment in critical condition.

[0087] The next step in the shutdown sequence is for the main controlboard 208 to turn the heat lamp 218 of the problem tank off bytransmitting an off command signal to the lighting control board 212,which in turn opens the circuit of the selected heat lamp to turn thelamp off. The next step in the shutdown sequence is to turn the heat pad206 in the problem tank off followed turning all heat pads 206 for theentire system off. The fluorescent lights are then turned off per draweror in their entirety. Between each of these steps, it will beappreciated that the main control board 208 takes temperature readingsfrom the overtemp switch 226 in the problem tank. If the temperaturedrops below a preset value, for example, 85 degrees, the next step ofthe shutdown sequence is not taken. If all steps are taken, the maincontrol board will actuate the alarms, both visual and audible to alertthe operator. Alternative shutdown procedures will occur to one ofordinary skill in the art.

[0088] It will be appreciated that in case of a power outage wherein theAC power supply 242 is unavailable effecting the DC power supply 238, abattery back up 240 activates to provide power to the DC components suchas the maglocks 204, heating pads 206 and fans 232, 234. The batteryback-up may last for about 20 minutes. While the light components willbe deactivated, the animals will still receive some heat from theheating pads 206 and the fans may be activated if an overtemperaturecondition is detected by the main control board 208. In addition, themaglocks 204 may be opened using the control panel 203 so an operatorcan open a particular drawer 25 to gain access to the animal if desired.If the battery backup unit 240 fails, a maglock override switch 245closes sending a signal to the main control board 208 to send an opencommand signal to the maglock 204 after a predetermined time period.Thus, the operator may access and handle the animals if necessary toprevent harm to the animals or complete a sale.

[0089] Remote Reporting:

[0090] Remote reporting entails notifying a store owner, veterinarian,or other animal care taker, not currently on-site with the animalhabitat and display apparatus, that a serious environmental conditionexists in at least one the tanks. Such remote reporting may be providedby a central administrative device manager also at a remote location viaa subscription service or as a built-in cost to the display unit. Itwill be appreciated that remote reporting of error conditions occurringin the animal habitat and display system is advantageous as the animalsare often left unattended during closing hours and since ambienttemperature frequently varies throughout the night and day which mayseverely effect the conditions of the animal habitat when no one is inattendance. Thus, the on-site alarms may not be seen until the open ofbusiness hours later. In addition other conditions such as poweroutages, fire, flooding, and other environmental hazard conditions mayeffect the environment in which the animals live and require a rapidresponse to preserve the health of the animals.

[0091] It is also common practice for a manager to be responsible for aregion and thus a number of stores or in the case of veterinarian animalcare taker, away from the clinic where the animals are located. Thus,the present invention contemplates a remote reporting feature to alertthe animal care takers at a remote location over a communication networkusing email or the Internet, or alternatively via telephone or pagingservice via landline or wireless communication.

[0092] For example, with continued reference to FIG. 13, if an errorcondition, such as an overtemp condition or component failure, isdetected by the main control board 208, a signal indicating the errorcondition, location of the error, i.e. tank or component, and streetaddress of the animal display or other suitable location identifier issent to the device server/network port 248 which is connected to thelocal network 252 via communication line 250. Alternatively, the networkport could be connected directly to the Internet using TCP/IP andconventional communication hardware and software. Each habitat systemwould be assigned a unique port address to identify its location. Theerror message is transmitted across the local network lines to a localterminal on-site. Thus, a manager may locate the terminal in his or heroffice away from the display system and still receive error messages andalarm notifications over the network.

[0093] As the store manager or animal care taker may not be on-site atall during an error condition, the error message may be transmitted toremote reporting server 260 which gathers the error data and stores itin a database 266 for historical analytical purposes. An error printout264 may be generated using the printer 262. The animal care taker maythen be notified by the reporting service through any of the variouscommunication means including email to the remote client's personalcomputer 258 also connected to the Internet. The remote reportingservice provide may also access the animal care taker's contactinformation including phone number or pager number in the database andcontact the animal care taker in a corresponding fashion.

[0094] For example, the main control board 208 detects via the overtempswitch 226 that tank No. 1 is in an overheat condition while the storewhere the animal habitat and display apparatus is unattended. After theshutdown sequence is initiated and the alarms 246 triggered, the maincontrol board sends an error signal indicating that tank No. 1 is anoverheat condition, the shutdown sequence did not terminate thecondition, and the store location identifier to the network port 248.The error signal is transmitted over communication line 250 to the localnetwork and communication line 254 to the Internet and is received bythe remote reporting server 260 of the remote reporting service. Theremote reporting server may then store the information in the database266 and also transmit an email notification containing the error messageto the remote client PC 258. The animal care taker, upon receiving theemail, may then travel to the location of the animal habitat and displaysystem 200 and investigate the error. The remote reporting may also usethe diagnostic feature and inform clients of any component failures.

[0095] While the present invention has been described herein in terms ofa number of preferred embodiments for display animals or objects,various changes and improvements may also be made to the inventionwithout departing from the scope thereof.

[0096] For example, while the present embodiments have been described interms of animal habitats and displays, and particularly, reptiles andamphibians, the present invention also contemplates providing a habitatfor other types of animals and alternatively may be used as storage anddisplay device for inanimate objects as well.

What is claimed is:
 1. An environmentally controlled animal habitat and display system comprising: a frame supporting at least one set of guide rails; a drawer slidably received on said guide rails with said drawer being movable relative to said frame, said drawer including at least one compartment having a front wall defining a window and at least one wall being movable relative to said compartment for gaining access thereto, said compartment defining an internal environment; a selectively operable regulator element in communication with said internal environment for regulating said internal environment; and an environmental control unit in electrical communication with said regulator element and including a control panel selectively operable to actuate said regulator element.
 2. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said regulator element includes a heat transfer component constructed to transfer heat, when actuated, to a region within said compartment to regulate the temperature of said internal environment.
 3. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said regulator element includes a light component constructed to transfer light, when actuated, to a region within said compartment to regulate the lighting in said internal environment.
 4. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said frame includes a plurality of drawers and compartments, each said compartment including a regulator element in the form of a heat transfer component for regulating temperature and a light component for regulating light in said internal environment, said components being electrically coupled to said control unit. 5 The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 4 wherein: said control panel includes a master switch operable to selectively activate all of said heat transfer components, and a bank of individual switches corresponding to individual of said heat transfer components and operable to selectively actuate a corresponding individual of said heat transfer components.
 6. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 4 wherein: said control panel includes a master switch operable to selectively activate all of said light components, and a bank of individual switches corresponding to individual of said light components and operable to selectively actuate a corresponding individual of said light components.
 7. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 3 wherein: said lighting component is selected from the group consisting of fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, infrared lamps, and ultraviolet lamps.
 8. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein: said heat transfer component is selected from the group consisting of incandescent lamps, radiant heat lamps, infrared lamps, ceramic heat emitters, black lights, heating pads, hot rocks, heat tape, and undersubstrate hot blocks.
 9. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said top wall is perforated for exchanging ambient air outside said compartment with air in said internal environment.
 10. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said drawer includes a tray secured to said guide rails and said compartment is formed by a tank resting on said tray.
 11. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 10 wherein: said tank includes a top wall slidably mounted to said tank and movable relative to a bottom wall for gaining access into said compartment.
 12. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 11 wherein: said frame includes a bumper vertically aligned with a rear portion of said top wall, said bumper being operable to abut said top wall as a drawer in an extended position is slid back along said guide rails into a retracted position in said frame to close said compartment.
 13. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said frame includes four sets of guide rails and four drawers, each drawer having three compartments.
 14. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said compartment includes at least one divider separating said compartment into at least two sub-compartments.
 15. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 14 wherein: said dividers are positioned within said compartment dividing said compartment into a first sub-compartment with different dimensions than a second sub-compartment.
 16. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 3 wherein: said light component is a fluorescent light constructed to substantially span the width of said drawer.
 17. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 3 wherein: said light component is a heat lamp positioned above each said compartment.
 18. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: each said compartment includes a thermometer sensitive to a temperature in said internal environment.
 19. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 18 wherein: said thermometer is electronically coupled to said control unit.
 20. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said frame includes a magnetic lock aligned with a metallic portion of each said drawer, said magnetic lock being electronically coupled to said control unit and operable to release said drawer upon receiving an unlock signal from said control unit, said control unit being operable to selectively release said magnetic lock on a selected drawer whereby said drawer may be extended on said guide rails.
 21. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said drawer includes an outwardly projecting guide rail guard mounted above an adjacent guide rail to prevent debris from entering said guide rails.
 22. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 2 wherein: said heat transfer component is a heat pad underlying a bottom wall of said compartment and said heat pad rests on an insulating pad.
 23. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 22 wherein: the temperature of said heat pad may be variably controlled with said control unit.
 24. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 3 wherein: each said lighting component includes a heat shield to deflect heat away from a compartment above said lighting component and toward a compartment underneath said light component.
 25. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 further including: at least one auxiliary fan for withdrawing heated air between drawers out of the back of said frame and withdraw cooler ambient air from the front of said frame across said regulating components.
 26. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 25 wherein: at least one fan is mounted on a rear side of said frame near the bottom of said frame.
 27. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 20 wherein: said control panel is programmed to receive a coded input to selectively release at least one of said magnetic locks.
 28. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said control panel includes a keypad.
 29. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said control panel includes an LCD panel.
 30. The animal habitat and display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said control panel includes a touch screen.
 31. An animal habitat and display system comprising: a frame supporting a plurality of guide rail sets, each of said guide rail sets being telescopically coupled to a tray supporting a lighting component including a plurality of heating lamps and a fluorescent lamp positioned to project light in a downward direction; an open topped rectangular tank resting atop each said tray and disposed beneath said lamps of an adjacent tray when said tray is in a closed position, said tank having a front wall with a transparent window region and at least one divider defining sub-compartments with discrete internal environments within said tank, said tank further including a slidably mounted perforated lid for each said sub-compartment movable relative to said tank for gaining access to said respective sub-compartment; a heating element on said tray and underlying said bottom wall of each said sub-compartment; a first locking component mounted to a back side of said frame and opposing a rear facing side of each tray; a second locking component connected to the back side of each tray aligned with said first locking component for magnetically coupling to said first locking component when said locking components abut one another; a controller in electrical communication with each said heating element, each said lamp, and said locking components, said controller including a control panel with a first control region for selectively operating said heating elements, a second control region for selectively operating said lamps and an access control region for selectively unlocking said locking components in order to move a selected tray on said rails in a forward direction to an extended position.
 32. An animal habitat and display system comprising: a frame including a plurality of shelves telescopically mounted to said frame in a vertically aligned arrangement, each shelf supporting at least one lighting component for projecting light downwardly; a tank defining a compartment with an internal environment, said tank including a front wall with a transparent region for viewing the contents of said compartment and at least one wall being perforated and movable relative to said compartment to provide access thereinto, said tank resting atop each one of said shelves and positioned to, when said shelf is within said frame, receive light from said lighting component disposed above said tank; means for heating said internal environment; means for locking said drawer to said frame; and an environmental control means for controlling said lighting component, said means for heating, and said means for locking. 